The main lesson I learnt vicariously from Morrie too many Tuesdays ago than I can remember, is the idea of what he called the "tension of opposites". It is essentially a function of the confluence of conscience and reason. In his (paraphrased) words: "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn’t. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted."
In this "series of pulls back and forth," most of us, the author explains, exist somewhere in the middle. He continues: "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-sleep, even when they are busy doing things they think are important. This is because they are doing the wrong things. The way to get meaning into life is to devote yourself to loving others, and to create or do something that gives purpose and meaning and help each other."
Recently, a very close friend of mine felt the full force of that tension. The stolid pride of his emotional facade crumbled but the edifice of his character remained intact. Time and effort will see that the debris is swept away and a new structure built. A building that is rebuilt is often stronger and more beautiful than before.
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